Let’s face it, as you start getting older your short term memory starts to fail you. Question: “Where are my glasses”, Answer: “On your head”. Sound familiar?
Even if you’re younger there are days when you just wish your brain “worked” better. That you could recall information or clear away the fog. You might have even wondered if there were brain foods that could help.
Well, there are.
Brain Nutrients
Everything you eat affects your mind. If you eat a steady diet of junk food you’ll feel sluggish and likely think sluggish. If you want to be quick thinking and maintain your brain health over the years, you have to feed it the right nutrients.
Good old fashioned exercise is a great brain food too. It’s no secret that exercising keeps you physically fit and studies show people who live long and healthy lives well into their 80’s and 90’s who exercise regularly and eat right often maintain their mental faculties.
Foods for the Brain
Brain surgeons know your brain is made of fat. Omega 3 fatty acids that is. DHA, EPA and ALA make up a large portion of your brain. But you need to keep replenishing these fats. The typical American diet keeps people deficient in these important nutrients. Without them, your memory can slip, your mood be down and rampant inflammation can affect your whole body.
So, what brain foods are rich in these essential omega 3’s? Fish. If you’ve ever heard of fish described as brain food, the reason is because it’s full of omega 3’s.
1—Wild caught salmon is rated the best “health” food for many reasons but since it has very high levels of DHA fatty acid, it’s an excellent brain food.
You definitely want to get the wild caught fish.
When the salmon swims free it develops strong muscles and is usually healthier. Farm raised fish on the other hand don’t get the room they need to move around and tend to be more sickly.
2–Chocolate! Yep, you’ve heard it’s good for your heart but it turns out it also helps you maintain a healthy brain. But don’t hit the vending machine quite yet. Most mass produced chocolate bars have low levels of the healthy cacao bean which is the important ingredient.
Enjoy a sliver of high quality organic dark chocolate with 75% or more cacao beans. You can find these specialty chocolates at natural food stores and some supermarkets.
3—Turmeric—This is a yellow spice you may be familiar with from Indian curries. Turns out it has tremendous anti inflammatory properties and can boost your brain health. Studies show people in rural India who eat high amounts of this spice have the lowest rates of Alzheimer’s in the world. Coincidence? Who knows.
Some scientists think there could be a correlation between healthy mental functioning and the compound in turmeric.
4–Grass fed beef is another good resource. The reason why is because grass fed beef is full of omega 3 fatty acids like salmon.
By adding wild caught salmon and smaller fish like herring and sardines to your diet 2-3 times a week you’ll get your needed doses of foods for the brain. Eat high quality chocolate, turmeric and grass fed beef to do more good things for your brain.
Of course, many doctors recommend fish oil supplements for overall health including your brain. Protect your memory and your health with fatty acids. To learn more, please visit my website where I share more research about boosting your brainpower.
Audrey Alexander is a passionate advocate of health and nutrition. To learn more about effective Omega 3’s and supplements she recommends after extensive research, visit http://www.omega3-reviews.com.
